Month: May 2011

I’m reading Cara’s post about the tornados. I feel so terrible for only getting to it now, and I’ve been posting stupid posts about tv instead. (Regular readers of my blog know Cara as a regular visitor here who lives in Alabama). Where was my head at?? I’m so sorry, Cara.

You have to read her post. She’s okay, but has been going through a lot of stuff, as you can imagine. Cara, I’m going to email you.

What I’ve watched so far: Grey’s Anatomy (it was okay, the show hasn’t been great in a long time) Bones (always great) Big Bang Theory (love it, but they have not been at the top of their game this season, still waiting for a high point like the time Sheldon helped Penny try to start a business) The Mentalist (pretty good) Criminal Minds (good but so genuinely creepy and scary it’s hard to watch sometimes) America’s Next Top Model, (always entertaining except those never-seen-before footage shows which I delete on contact).

And I’ve still got Fringe and Supernatural and other shows to watch. Yes, I watch A LOT of tv!

This is my choir, starting to gather for our warm-up before the performance.

The pilot should be fired and I hope the airline is sued for billions:

Pilot Refuses To Fly With Muslim Men On Board

The two men were kicked off the flight, but apparently they are better people than I am. According to one article, “A lawyer for the two men said he was looking into a possible lawsuit – but his clients really just wanted additional sensitivity training for the pilot.”

In other news, I am eliminating sugar from my diet (mostly). I really bought that “Is sugar toxic” article in the Times. This city is such an evil temptress though. On my way home from the library, I passed a new cupcake window. Oh. I love that girl’s yellow jacket!

I’m so insecure about my voice. It isn’t an awful voice, but it isn’t great. Last year, when John placed me at the back row at the end, the farthest possible point from him, the audience and everyone else, I was sure he thought he was sparing the greatest number of people from hearing me. Oh, and whenever a soprano is flat anywhere near me I’m sure everyone is going to think it’s me. Because of course everyone else thinks I suck too.

This year I’m back close to the front except I’m so far off to the side (or so it appeared) that I thought John was once again trying to keep my terrible voice away from people.

But last night at the dress rehearsal I discover I am standing next to our soprano soloist. He can’t think I completely suck if he put me there. I know he doesn’t think I have a great voice (which I don’t) because he never picks me for semi-choruses. This is when the composer dictates that only a small number of people sing, usually because he wants a haunting, ghost-like effect. There’s one tonight, for the sopranos and altos, and it’s the prettiest one I have ever heard. I was desperate to be chosen for it. And I wasn’t. Later I was glad. John has scattered those singers throughout the line-up so they’re on their own during that section. I would have been terrified. For people coming to hear us tonight, it’s one of the high-points of the piece.

There’s a lot of high points in this piece, though. I love Ralph Vaughan Williams, and A Sea Symphony is from beginning to end one great part after another. The possible sob moment for me will be when we sing: O thou transcendent. I’ll either be crying or grinning like a mad woman.

… he’s really most sincerely dead! (I couldn’t resist. That joke has probably already been made a half a billion times.) I took the picture below on the day that Obama announced that we killed bin Laden. It’s not meant to be ironic. I’m very much a peacenik. Mostly.

So, I can hear the helicopters already. What time is Obama supposed to be at the WTC? I want to go down there. What can I say, I still love my president.